Kioxia Exceria 960GB 2.5″ SSD

Description

The Same Performance, More Room to Breathe

Speed figures are identical across the Exceria SATA range — all three capacities are rated at 555MB/s read and 540MB/s write. Where the 960GB distinguishes itself is random performance: the 960GB model is rated up to 81,000 IOPS for reads and 88,000 IOPS for writes at QD32. The practical difference between that and the 480GB’s figures is negligible for everyday use — what you’re really buying here is space and endurance.

Endurance That Scales With Capacity

The 960GB Exceria SATA is rated at 240TBW — double the 120TBW of the 480GB variant. That’s still modest compared to some competing drives at this capacity, but for a budget SATA SSD used as a primary OS and applications drive, 240TBW is a reasonable working figure for most users over several years of normal use.

BiCS FLASH™ — Kioxia’s Own NAND, No DRAM Cache

Internally the Exceria SATA uses a rebranded Phison S11 controller paired with 3D TLC NAND from Kioxia’s own BiCS FLASH™ manufacturing. One thing worth being upfront about: a DRAM cache is not available on this drive. For typical desktop and laptop workloads — booting, browsing, office applications — this is not a meaningful limitation. For sustained large file writes, a cached drive like the Kingston KC600 will maintain higher throughput over longer transfers.

Fit and Form Factor

Standard 2.5″ SATA III form factor, 7mm height, backwards compatible with SATA II. Fits desktops, laptops, and any enclosure with a 2.5″ SATA bay. DevSleep support for reduced power draw in compatible mobile systems.

⚠️ SATA only — this is a 2.5″ SATA III drive, not NVMe. It will not fit an M.2 slot. Confirm your system has a 2.5″ SATA bay before ordering.

❌ No DRAM cache — the Exceria SATA is a DRAM-less design. It handles everyday workloads well, but sustained heavy write workloads may see speed dips once the SLC cache is exhausted. For write-intensive use cases, consider the Kingston KC600 instead.

💡 TBW note — the 960GB model is rated at 240TBW with a 3-year warranty. Perfectly adequate for light to moderate daily use, but not the highest endurance in class at this capacity.

Key Highlights

• Capacity: 960GB
• Form Factor: 2.5″ (7mm height)
• Interface: SATA III (6Gb/s), backwards compatible with SATA II
• Sequential Read/Write: Up to 555 / 540 MB/s
• Random 4K Read/Write: Up to 81,000 / 88,000 IOPS
• NAND: BiCS FLASH™ 3D TLC (Kioxia proprietary)
• Controller: Phison S11 (Toshiba TC58NC1010GSB)
• DRAM Cache: None
• MTBF: 1,500,000 hours
• TBW: 240TB
• DevSleep: Supported
• Warranty: 3-year limited

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